*disclaimer: this post is written from a Canadian perspective, where the availability and laws about coupon use and bulk purchasing are different than in the United States.

Savvy Shopper. Coupon Clipper. There are many names today for people who follow a movement of extreme shopping.

The concept is fairly simple: keep track of items that your family uses and when they go on sale, purchase them in bulk, typically using coupons to decrease the final price. I myself used to subscribe to this mentality and would look for coupons in the weekly papers, magazines, and online.

I enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and when I finally got some items 80-100% off (yes, for free), it felt like I was making a difference towards my family’s spending and I enjoyed doing it. That is, until we started adopting a more minimalist lifestyle. Suddenly, having 10 bottles of shampoo in the closet didn’t feel so satisfying.

And so, I’ve changed how I shop and I’m here to share with you the seven ways that stockpiling can be wasteful and how I’ve changed my shopping habits to suit a more minimalist lifestyle.